A training request has come in, and it’s time for you, the new Instructional Designer, to design and develop the training. So now what? What are you going to do? What approach are you going to take? It’s so easy for you to get caught up in educational theories and industry trends, that you may just sit and stare at the screen – unsure what to do next. So, I ask again – now what?
While lots of professional IDs will give you lots of great advice, my advice is this: if you want people to know something – teach them; if you want people to learn something – give them something to do. That’s it.
It’s not fancy; there’s no catchy hook. It’s just simple, and that is why it’s the sole principle that drives my design of any instructional material from “tip sheets” to Instructor Led Training, and most certainly eLearning.
What do you think? Does it make sense? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know.
I think we also have to remember the limitations of our audience. Giving someone a task that is too difficult will simply frustrate them. You can lead a horse to water but you are going to have a heck of a time getting it to do the dishes.
I would acknowledge that ‘doing’ something has more impact than just hearing, seeing, or reading something and I think it is good for us to provide those opportunities to do stuff. I think of this in a similar way to the saying that giving a man a fish will feed him for a day but teaching him to fish will feed him for a lifetime.
Unfortunately, we have yet another saying at play and it is that you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. As IDs, we can layout all of the content, activities, inspiration, and challenges we want but it is still up to the individual to decide if they will partake. Of course, that does not mean that we stop doing our best to provide opportunities that are relevant with long-lasting impact.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
